


The Words That Cover Him

by aexis1465



Series: Pliroy stuff [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Soulmate AU, Trans Character, Trans!Yurio, mentions of dysphoria, mentions of transphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-05
Updated: 2017-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-28 12:35:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10101032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aexis1465/pseuds/aexis1465
Summary: JJ has wanted to know who his soulmate was for as long as he can remember. He wants to know ever more when he finds out what his soulmate is going through everyday.A year later and JJ has some idea of what’s being written on his arm. He doesn’t understand everything, but he understand enough to piece together that his soulmate isn’t going through the best of times. He continues to draw the small doodles all over his arm and a few times he will write something out in English in the hopes his soulmate will write back in English. This has yet to work.





	

The first time JJ learns about soulmates, he is five years old. His parents told him he might see writing on his skin that he didn’t put there, and the writing would be that of his soulmate. JJ always avoided writing on his skin, he thought he would scare his soulmate by doing so. He also never saw any writing from his soulmate, so in his mind they were just waiting. Waiting for what, he didn’t know, but they were stuck in a waiting game. 

One day when he was seven years old he woke up to scribbles all over his arms. They in different colored markers and didn’t make any sense at all. JJ was quick to wake his parents up and ask what was going on. His mother explained that his soulmate must be younger and just learning how to write. She handed him a pen that was sat on her bedside table with the instruction to draw something simple for his soulmate to see. He chose to draw one smiley face and two small hearts beside it. His mother told him not to expect any replies now because his soulmate would still be young, but JJ would draw a small heart or smiley face on his arm almost every day from then on. 

The first reply JJ ever received was when he was twelve and in the middle of his second ice-skating practice. The writing was in a language unknown to him. He asked every student at the practice and no one recognized it either. It wasn’t until he talked to his school counselors the next day that he found out what language was written on his arm. 

He walked into the counselling office and told his counselor that he wanted his required foreign language class to be transferred into whatever language was written in the faded ink on his arm. She told him they school didn’t offer an on campus Russian and that if he wanted to take it, he would have to find an alternate way to do so. 

So he did. At twelve years old, JJ started taking an online college course for the introduction to Russian. It was so much more work than any of the other classes he took at that point in his life, but he knows it’ll be worth it to one day talk with his soulmate. 

JJ likes to believe that’s the first time he realized he would do anything for his soulmate. 

A year later and JJ has some idea of what’s being written on his arm. He doesn’t understand everything, but he understand enough to piece together that his soulmate isn’t going through the best of times. He continues to draw the small doodles all over his arm and a few times he will write something out in English in the hopes his soulmate will write back in English. This has yet to work. 

By the start of JJ’s freshman year he was nearly fluent in Russian. He spoke it around his house, labelling different things, to keep his memory of the language. His mother has complained numerous times because she was unable to read any labels as they were all in Russian now. 

As his language skills grew, so did the length of the writing on his body. It was originally just his right arm, meaning his soulmate was left handed, but then it spread to his left arm, his legs, and at one point his stomach. His soulmate was using their bodies as a diary of sorts. JJ felt like he was invading privacy by reading each brick of text, but his mind couldn’t sleep when he felt the tingling sensation of his soulmate writing in the middle of the night. 

There was no way for him to know exactly how old his soulmate was. His guess was twelve or thirteen, which in itself was weird for JJ because he can’t imagine himself dating a twelve year old when he is fifteen. It feels like too much of an age gap, when in reality it isn’t as bad as some of the age gaps he has heard of. His parents were six years apart, so three years couldn’t be as bad as he thinks it is. 

He could tell his soulmate’s situation has gotten worse. Each part of his body seemed to be used for a different problem his soulmate had with themselves. 

His right arm was filled in with how he needed to stop touching the ice when he jumped. JJ understood almost immediately. He started figure skating two years ago and ran into the same problem every time he tried to do an axel; now he could do them flawlessly. He was excited his soulmate was into figure skating like he was- it was another way for them to meet, and another thing for them to bond over. 

JJ’s right arm was filled with different problems his soulmate had at school. Their history class was boring and he couldn’t concentrate. Their math class caused the most problems, though. They weren’t good at math and was currently failing. JJ felt guilty, but there were instances where he would finish an equation his soulmate wrote on his arm while they were in class. He would box the answer in a heart and his soulmate would respond with a small smiley face. 

Unfortunately, those were the smallest problems that scattered his body. He imagined they were on his arms incase anyone saw. 

His left thigh went on about how their name wasn’t actually their name. JJ never understood, but the names were always scribbled out as if his soulmate didn’t want JJ to know what it was. He respected it, but it left him curious as to what their name was. He could sometimes look under the scribbles and make out a few letters. The name his soulmate didn’t go by began with the English equivalent of an A and the name they preferred had an I at the end. 

The right thigh went on about how his soulmate hated their body type. It didn’t pinpoint one part of the body, instead referencing it at as a whole. JJ didn’t understand it completely, but he understood in the sense that there were parts of his body he would change if he could. He never liked how long his legs were, there wasn’t a particular reason, he just didn’t like having long legs. Not much to it. 

Though it was painful to read about his soulmate hating themselves, it only got worse when he read what was written on his stomach. He didn’t understand most of it on the read through of it. There were words JJ had to put into the translator and then put the English words into a dictionary. 

It took an hour and thirty minutes before he understood why his soulmate didn’t like their body type and their name. His stomach explained how his soulmate was transgender and couldn’t tell anyone. They felt trapped and they couldn’t express how they felt to anyone because they wouldn’t be accepting. They explained how they felt dysphoric everyday but couldn’t do anything about it. 

It broke JJ’s heart reading how his soulmate was in pain everyday. He couldn’t relate to anything his soulmate was going through, but he knew he had to offer his support to them. 

He spent two weeks writing a response to the words he read every night. He revised it everyday, sometimes making changes, other times just leaving it as it was. But he was hesitant to write it out on his body. What if something was translated wrong? What if it came out wrong and his soulmate thought he hated them? There were too many “what if’s” for JJ to be comfortable just writing it out. It would also be the first time writing words to his soulmate and that was nerve wracking. 

The chance to send his response presented itself when the morning he woke up and there was no writing on his arm. He feared for the worse, knowing his soulmate felt like they were in and eternal rough spot. JJ dug the note he wrote from his top dresser drawer and wrote it in his neatest handwriting onto his thighs. It would be easy to read and it was easier to write. On the right he wrote it in Russian and on the left he wrote it English. He figured it’d be a good idea in case something was wrong in translating- his soulmate could just type it into a translator if need be. 

He didn’t get a reply until he was on his way home from school. The tingling sensation was on his legs as soon as he started walking home. He sprinted the rest of the way, ignoring the friends he was meant to walk with. As soon as he was in his front door he took off his pants and read the small “Thank you” written in English. He dug to the bottom of his backpack to find a pen and drew a small heart back. 

That was the moment they started having real conversation with each other. 

~

Two years later and JJ was finished with mandatory schooling and was competitively skating full-time.

It was the day of his first competition for the Grand Prix series when his soulmate was writing non-stop. They were going about how it was their first time competing for the Junior Grand Prix series. Both agree not to tell which cup they are at and they wish each other good luck before performing. JJ goes to the bathroom to draw a small, solid heart over his own before performing. It helped him calm down. 

At the end of the season, JJ is one place away from making the Grand Prix Finals and his soulmate places, but won’t tell him where. He looked up the Russian competitors going to the Grand Prix series, but when he saw there were three, he didn’t look further. He didn’t want to go against his soulmate’s wishes by figuring out which one was his soulmate. 

The next year was silent for both of them. Between the long hours of practice and school for his soulmate, there wasn’t much time to talk. The only big moment they shared was when his soulmate was recognized as a male for the Grand Prix series. From then on, JJ referred to his soulmate as his Prince. 

That year JJ made fourth in the Grand Prix Finals and his soulmate made first meaning he would move on to the senior division. 

~

The Russian Cup was the most exciting point of JJ’s season. He was excited to be in Russia and to try out the Russian skills he’s been harboring for nearly eight years. 

_I’m in Russia! It’s so beautiful here!_ He wrote onto his arm. 

_Whose routine are you looking forward to the most?_ His soulmate wrote back quickly. They were in the same time zone, so keeping a conversation was easy for them. 

_One of the Yuri’s for sure. The short programs Nikiforov designed look pretty cool._

_oh_

_What about you? Where are you skating?_

_Not important, I have to go now. Good luck later!_

JJ took of his shirt in his hotel room and drew the small heart over his own. It became a habit to draw it before either of them performed. He would be performing soon and he wanted his soulmate to know that he was cheering for the both of them. 

~

JJ took in all the stares as he walked into the arena. His theme this year was about his soulmate. His costume had sheer sleeves to show everyone the writing on his arms, but not clear enough for them to be read. He went with his parents to the rink and skated onto it when his name was called. He waved to the crowd a bit before the start of his performance. 

The routine was the same as all the other times he skated it. It was emotional, but kept an up beat to it. When he skated of the ice, his score was in first place. 

“I can’t wait to watch your performance,” He said to Yuri Plisetsky as he skated of the ice. Yuri didn’t say anything, just stared at his arms intently. 

JJ watched as Yuri started his performance. He loved the routine, he’d been following the different skaters in the senior division and it was weird to see such a spiteful person skate Agape so beautifully. JJ doesn’t think he’d be able to pull it off as well which is why he didn’t feel the competition he normally would. He’d be okay with Yuri placing above him if he always skates this way. 

When yuri walked off the ice from his performance, he ignored his coaches waiting at the bench for scores. He went straight to JJ. 

“Follow me, we need to talk.” Yuri said in Russian, setting the entire conversation to continue in Russian. 

“Don’t you want to see your scores? You did wonderfully!” JJ said. 

He didn’t resist as Yuri pulled him towards the bathrooms. When they were inside the single person bathroom, Yuri locked the door and kept his back to JJ as he took off the top half of his costume. Yuri is wearing a binder, but JJ doesn’t comment on it. It’s none of his business. 

“Shouldn’t we go out to dinner or something first?” JJ laughed. 

“Shut it.” 

“Do you need help taking your binder off or something? Does it hurt? You aren’t supposed to wear them for more than eight hours? I think? I don’t know it’s been awhile since I was given the run down on binder safety. You- oh. _Oh!_ ” JJ’s sentence runs short when Yuri turns around and JJ sees all the writing on his skin. 

He can see his handwriting on Yuri’s arms. Their bodies match with the different words written across them. It’s a surreal moment for JJ. It was like looking in a mirror, but better because it was his soulmate instead of himself. 

“I- I’m sorry for everything I’ve written. There were times I forgot anyone was reading.” 

“No, no.” JJ shook his head. “Don’t apologize, you needed to talk to someone. It was obvious you needed someone, I’m glad you trusted me enough to talk to me about all those things.” 

Yuri takes a few steps forwards and hugs JJ tightly. JJ was shocked, not so much at the hug, but more that it was his soulmate, his Prince. He has waited for years to meet them, and here he was, hugging him. He never wanted to let go. 

“I feel like I’ve waited my entire life for this moment,” Yuri said.

“I know,” JJ hugged him tighter. “Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> hmu with any prompts/requests/heacanons you guys have [@aexis145](aexis1465.tumblr.com)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you liked it! <333


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